Christmas Sweaters
by Kalira69
Summary: Sakura and her whole family go all-out for Christmas; it's . . . not really Ino's thing, but she finds herself swept up a little and not minding too much anyway. (Written for Sakura Month, Day 20)


Written for Day 20 of Sakura Month: Christmas Sweaters

* * *

"Why me?" Ino whined, looking at herself in the mirror.

Sakura showed up behind her, peeking over her shoulder. She leaned in and kissed Ino's cheek, fingers running through her ponytail. "Because you want to be a good daughter-in-law?" she suggested, tugging Ino's long hair lightly.

Ino huffed sulkily, shaking her head - though not quite enough to tug her hair out of Sakura's hands. She smoothed her hands over her body - over the shapeless sweater she was wearing, a bright, dark green with sparkly baubles patterned on it. She thought she might be shedding glitter and she had a horrible suspicion it was supposed to make her look like a Christmas tree.

"I _am_ a good daughter-in-law." Ino huffed again, leaning forwards a little and straightening her right earring - another Christmas bauble, although she had at least chosen her own jewellery, and the baubles she wore as earrings were a shimmery purple with bright gold patterns. She smiled slightly, wry, and tilted her head, watching the light glint off them.

"You are." Sakura hugged her around the waist, the awful sweater thick enough to dull the feeling a little. Ino pouted. "You're an even better wife." she added, resting her chin on Ino's shoulder and snuggling against her.

"Obviously." Ino said smugly, but her smile was warm as she met her own eyes in the mirror for a moment, then turned away. "I love you."

Sakura grinned, tilting her head up to kiss Ino. Ino responded, wrapping Sakura up in an embrace. "As should be _glaringly_ obvious by the fact that I am _willingly_ allowing you to not only dress me like this but _take me out in public_." she said in a low voice almost against Sakura's mouth.

Sakura burst out laughing, her arms tightening around Ino's waist. "Oh, come on, darling, it's not _that_ bad." She grinned. Sakura was wearing a light brown sweater that had fabric antlers sewn onto the front of the shoulders and poking up a little, and a reindeer's face on the stomach and chest - only with far more sparkle, red, and bright patterns than any actual deer would, and Ino would know, with all the time she'd spent on Nara land growing up. She shook her head. "And we aren't going out in public, not really, only to my parents' house!" Sakura continued, oblivious to Ino's thoughts.

"We are going out in public to _get_ there." Ino pointed out, resigned at this point. "I'll survive, I'm sure." she said with a sigh. Although she was _also_ sure she would be seen - downside of living in a ninja village; there was almost no chance she'd be able to conceal herself or this sweater on the way to her parents-in-law's house. And if she had to explain Christmas sweaters to Sai she was going to scream, much as she was fond of him and didn't mind helping him with confusing human things usually.

"You will. And I am _very_ appreciative of your fortitude in indulging my mother this way." Sakura said, looking more than a little amused. Ino pouted a little harder, winding a lock of Sakura's hair - oh _hell_ , she had sprayed gold glitter in it, _why_ \- around her fingers.

"Will you be _very appreciative_ when we get home tonight?" Ino wheedled leadingly, trying to ignore the glitter.

Sakura smirked. "I promise." she said in her very sultriest tones, leaning up and pressing herself full against Ino - there were the unfamiliar bumps and pressure of the baubles on Ino's sweater and the reindeer's face and antlers between them - and kissing her hot and slow and slick.

Ino was purring when Sakura drew back, and might even be feeling _slightly_ more charitable towards the dreadful Christmas sweaters.

"Ready to go?" Sakura asked, slightly breathless as she backed away.

"When you are." Ino agreed, neatening her hair in the mirror. She glanced down at the leggings she wore - bright red, with shimmery candy cane style swirls on them - and had a resurgence of dread. She licked her lips, still tingling from Sakura's kiss, and it faded again. She refreshed her lipstick with a quick gesture and flicked her fringe aside to frame her face. She smiled at herself - perfect, or as close as she'd get in _this_ \- then turned back to her wife.

Sakura grinned and took up one of the big bags of presents they were taking with them on the way to the door. Ino sighed and collected the other. She tried to imagine her mother's reaction when she saw the sweater Ino was wearing and nearly strangled on a laugh on the way out the door.

Her dad - Ino's breath hitched for a moment as she paused for Sakura to lock up, memories and a fierce sort of longing for him overtaking her briefly - would have been more horrified, but he would also have hidden it better. As Ino would too, if she felt like it. She'd taken his place and T&I taught nothing as well as the twin skills of concealing your emotional reactions and eliciting them from others.

Sakura caught her hand and twined their fingers once they were out in the snowy street, and Ino smiled at her, squeezing her hand firmly. They made their way at a lazy pace - a civilian pace, and they didn't once stray to the rooftops - across several districts to where Sakura's parents had lived since she and Sakura were children.

The house glittered and shone brightly with Christmas lights and decorations, but Ino had seen it before and she only smiled. Though she shook her head slightly as she took in the one or two that had apparently been added in the last week.

Sakura bounced up the front steps and knocked on the door, Ino at her heels.

Mama Haruno opened the door with a bright smile that _almost_ outshone the _truly heinous_ sweater she was wearing. _Ino's_ expression almost faltered as she took it in, and she wondered faintly if the sting was all in her mind or if it _actually_ hurt to look at.

"Girls! Merry Christmas!" Mama Haruno cried, wrapping her arms around them both, somehow, and dragging them in over the threshold without knocking their bags from their hands. She hugged them tight and Ino managed to wrap an arm around her in return.

"Merry Christmas!" Ino returned a beat behind Sakura. "Thank you for hosting all of us!" she added, just as she caught sight of her mother, looking wide-eyed at her sweater. Ino stifled the urge to laugh. All right, it was slightly dreadful, but her mother's face was _hilarious_ . . . as was the bright blue sweater with a snowman and glittery presents on it that she had evidently been talked into wearing. It looked very strange over the long skirt of her elegant dress.

"Oh, we love to, Ino, dear!" Mama Haruno said cheerfully, kissing her cheek and squeezing her once more, then stepping away. She didn't doubt it; Sakura's parents were crazy for Christmas and all that came with it, hosting more people for the day was probably a delight.

"Hello mother!" Ino said cheerfully, letting Sakura take her bag of gifts away, presumably to set them with the others near the tree. "Merry Christmas! How are you?"

"Hello dear. . ." her mother said slowly. "Ah, Merry Christmas." She smiled, reaching out to gently tug Ino into an embrace. "I'm just fine." She hesitated for a moment, her smile wavering and her eyes dark; Ino hugged her a little tighter, thinking of her father again. "How are you and your lovely wife?" she asked.

Ino smiled fondly. "Very well, thank you. Although much as I enjoy Christmas," she said quietly, glancing sideways to look for Sakura or any of her in-laws in hearing range, "and as delighted as I am that we are both in town and have the time off to celebrate it together, I will also be a little glad when it is time for the decorations to go away again." she admitted, making her mother laugh.

They hugged again, and then Sakura's father - his sweater was an even brighter red than Ino's leggings, with an approximation of Santa's head on it - came through to bring them into the kitchen for hot cocoa and some kind of butter pastry. Ino hummed happily and they followed him in good spirits.


End file.
